Car-stake.



UNITED sTiiTs rnTn i il OFFICE.

WILLARD HoUenToN, or snATTLn,` WASHINGTON.

CAR-STAKE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pgttnfjgd June 23, 1914:, Application 1ed January 22, 1914.

Serial No. 813,609.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it. known that l, W'ILLARD HOUGHTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of lVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Stakes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to releasable or tiltable stakes for logging cars; and its object is the perfecting of such devices to render the same more eiiicient in operation and convenient to trip for the discharge of logs from a car.

rlhe invention consists, primarily, of a main stake which is tiltably secured to the end of a bunk iframe and serves to support a supplementary stake or stanchion and which is automatically released from the main stake when the latter is swung clear of the load.

The invention further consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view of a portion of a flat-car with my invention applied thereto, with the bunk shown in section. Fig. 2 is an underside plan View partly broken away of the bunk and associated parts. Fig. 3 is an end elevational view with the parts in operative position, as illustrated at the left side of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view. Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the means for securing the operating lever of one of the stakes.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 designates the deck of a ilat car and 11 are the sill members for the same.

12 indicates a bunk which, as shown, is comprised of side walls 13 having flanges 141 at their lower edges to aiord a stable seat upon said car-deck and to which the bunk is rigidly secured in any well-known or suitable manner.

The bunks side walls 13 are connected near their upper edges by a horizontal wall 15 and also at their ends,l by bridge-pieces 16 which are located at or below the upper surface of the deck. The deck is desirably constructed or adapted to alt'ord an opening limmediately below the space between .the bunk-walls and to a short distance to each side of the same, as indicated in Fig. 3. Extending from each of the bunk walls near the end thereof is a bracket 17.

At each end of the bunk is a stake 18 which is pivotally connected by a bolt 19 to the bunk at a distance from the end of the latter. The outer end of a stake is held up in operative position by means of a block 20 which, in turn, is supported by the adjacent brackets 17. `lll/'hen the block is withdrawn from such bracket-s the outer end of astake is unsupported and falls down into the position corresponding to that in which the stake is represented by full lines at.the right side of Fig. 1.

A block 20 is connected to the end of a pull-rod 21 whose other end is connected to a lever 22 which is ulcrumed to a staple 23 depending from bunk-wall 15 in proximity to the opposite end of the bunkfrom the block.

As illustrated, a lever 22 extends below the sills 11 of the car, and is conveniently controlled by an attendant from the opposite side of the car from a stake which is to bc tripped. For securing the lever to hold the block in position to support a stake, l provide a bar 24 having a recess 25 which terminates at a shoulder 251 against which the lever abuts, see Fig. 5, when the block is upon the respective brackets 17.

26 is a spring which serves to prevent any accidental lateral movement of the lever such as would allow it to be withdrawn from the shoulder 25.

lW'hen a stake is down, as indicated by full lines at the iright of Fig. 1, it is moved by the attendant, standing at that side of the car, into operative position by swinging the same outwardly and upwardly to occupy the position in which it is indicated by broken lines A in the view.

The attendant holding the stake in its upright position with one hand, with his other hand grasps the block and introduces it below the heel 181 of the stake and onto the brackets. The block thus handled causes the connected rod 21 to swing the respective lever 22 into position whereat the spring 26 will thrust it into the recess 25 whereupon the bar-shoulder 251 will serve to hold the block upon the brackets until its withdrawal therefrom is intentionally made by an attendant from the remote side of the car.

Included in the invention are stanchions 27 which, upon occasion, are employed with the aforedescribed stakes to serve as extensions for use where a high load of logs is Yto be carried on a car.

A stanchion is desirably formed of a rail having a central web element 2S and lateral flanges 29 at one edge thereof and of such widths as to permit their entering the space between the bunk-walls 13 and into juxtaposition with a stake.

Rigid with the stanchion is a strap 30 having its aperture 31 adapted to fit loosely about a projection 32 provided on the upper end of a stake and allow the strap to seat upon a shelf 33 formed in the stake at the base of said projection. By such devices, the stanchion is hung upon and sustained by a stake and when the latter is tripped and swings downwardly, the stake projection 32, by reason of its loose lit with the strap, will be readily withdrawn. I prefer, moreover, to provide devices supplementary to the referred to sustaining means for retaining the stanchion in upright position. To which end, hooks 34- are pivotally connected to the bolt 19 at opposite sides of a stake and are adapted to engage over ears 35 which protrude from the sides of the stanchion flanges, as best shown in Fig. 3.

The hooks 3-1 serve to prevent the lower end of a stanchion from swinging outwardly from between the bunk-walls 13. Ears 3G may advantageously be provided upon a stanchion to engage against the underside of the bunk to prevent anj7 accidental raising of the stanchion where the latter is in operative position as, for example, on an unloaded car when the same travels over a rough section of track.

To couple a stanchion tok a stake, the stanchion is first raised in an inclined position with the ears 35 below the bills 341 of the hooks 34, and the ears 36 against the end of the bunk, and when the bracket is above the stake projection 32, the stanchion is lowered to have the strap seated upon the stake shoulder 33, whereupon the lower end of the stanchion is shoved into the housing therefor between the bunk-walls 13.

Having described my invention, what I claim, is j 1.v In a device of the class described, the combination with a car-bunk provided with bracket elements upon the side walls thereof, of a stake pivotally connected to the bunk at a distance from said bracket elements, and means removably seated upon the bracket elements for releasably holding said stake in upright position.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a car-bunk, a stake pivotally connected to the bunk, a block supported by bracket-pieces provided on the bunk for supporting the stake in upright position, and a rod connected to the stake and operated from the end of the bunk remote from the stake whereby the block may be dislodged for releasing the stake.

3. ln a device of the class described, the combination with a car-bunk, and a bolt secured to the side walls of said bunk, a stake pivotally connected to said bolt, of a stanchion, a strap provided intermediate the length of the stanchion and engageable upon a shelf provided on the stake whereby the stanchion is supported by the stake, and means connecting the stanchion with the bunk whereby the lower end of the stanchion is prevented from swinging' outwardly with respect to the bunk.

y1. In a device 'of the class described, the combination with a car-bunk, a bolt secured to the bunk, a stake pivotally connected to said bolt, and removable means engaging under the heel of the stake for supporting the same in upright position, of a stanchion and means provided on the stanchion for engaging the top of the stake to thereby suspend the stanchion when the stake is in an upright position.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a car-bunk, a stake pivotally connected to the bunk, said bunk be-V ing provided adjacent its upper end with a shelf and a projection extending above the shelf, and means for releasably securing said stake in upright position, of a stanchion, and a strap rigidly connected to the stanchion and adapted to fit loosely over the aforesaid projection and be seated upon said shelf for supporting the stanchion.

6. The combination with a car-bunk having bracket-elements interiorly thereof, a stake, a bolt extending through the bunk for pivotally connecting the inner end of the stake to the bunk, a block arranged to seat upon the bunk, bracket elements for supporting the outer end of the stake, a pullrod connected to said block, a lever connected to said rod for withdrawing the block from. said bracket elements whereby the outer end of the stake is free to swing downengaging the stanohion Wherebv the same is for enga-ging said stake and adapted to seat held in juxtaposition With the sta-ke when upon the stake shoulder. 10

the latter s in upright position. Signed at Seattle, Wash., this 15th dey of 8. In a device of the class described, a. car- January, 1914. stake pivotaliy connected to the bunk for WILLARD HOUGHTON.

swinging movements only and provided with Witnesses: a shoulder adjacent to its upper end, and a E. PETERSON, stanchion provided With releasable means HORACE BARNES.

k(lopiel of this patent may 'be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0. 

